The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-01-14
The Egis & Intelligencer
Bel Air, Md, January IA 1887.
IA zFORD COUsTY's REVOLUTIONA
RY RECORD.
Mostly from Original Documents.
by G. W. ARCHER.

l.
EXPLANATORY.
have lately. through the courtesy OF Mr.. John
s. Young. OF the County Clerks Office, been al
lowed access to a much-worn bundle OF original
mittee of Observation OF Hartford county from
lII4 to III. 1t may be proper to explain here
that although this is by far the most common
name given the committee, IL is variously called
the Revolutionary Committee, the Committee of
Safety or merely the Committee. The second
name, however, should be applied only to the
provincial committee at Annapolis.
II may be recollected that in 1876, during. the
general centennial craze, there was special So
ciety organized in Bel Air for the purpose OF col
lectng from all acces .ible sources revolutionary
documents OF local character and Of printing
such of them as were thought worthy of preser-
walton. was appointed TO abridge them for
that purpose, and they were published. in their
abridged form, in the local newspapers, Those
recently shown me were overlooked at the time,
and consequently have lain mouldering inglori-
ousiy ten years longer in the Court House,
where the Others we're unearthed some forty
Some of the present papers are duplicates of
those which were printed ten years ago and will
not be reproduced here except in so far as may
be necessary to explain the purport OF the
Mr.. +. w. Baker has also kindly placed in nv
hands some interesting archives of the Commit
tee of Observation IS these consist almost
exclusively Of lists Of Assoeistors and Non-Asso-
ciators chose who did, or did not favor revolu-
tom. and Of the various reasons assigned by the
latter for their course, deem 1t best to treat of
them separately.
Few persons seem to have clear conception
OF the workings of the local political organiza-
tons of the provinces during that memorable
era; and yet they WERE next To the army, the
chief agencies by which our independence was
achieved. They were, however. only tolerated
necessity, serving purpose of temporary, but
vital importance until the several State govern
ments were established, when, of coure they
were OF no further use. But during The first
years, the various provincial conventions and
the general Congress-which are usually credit
cd with all the non-military glory OF those
were merely convenient agents delegated TO ex-
ecute, through that army mainly, the will OF the
people as expressed by such initiative bodies as
was this in our county; for throughout the coun-
try their powers as well us their mode OF using
them were substantially the same. II therefore
can give your readers a clear idea of the pow
ers entrusted by the people to this one commit
e, and its mode of exercising them, much will
have been done to make Ineligible the entire
revolutionary machinery of the colonies.
Never since the signal and humiliating failure
OF the British government, in 1895, to carry out
In Maryland the odious provisions of the stamp
act the people of the province had been kept in
a continual ferment by various subsequent ty-
rannical acts of the mother. country, and were
only restrained during that exciting interval
from overt acts OF rebellion, by the cooler heads
to whom they habitually looked for counsel. In
March IVA, however while this excitement still
ran high the material curtailment OF the liber-
ties of the Massachusetts people, by paramenta-
~ act, abrogating certain chartered rights. and
the closing OF the port Of Boston, which caused
great and lasting distress throughout the sister
province. was little more tan the people of
protest, IL nothing more.
A convention was called I says history
though precisely how the call was made does not
appear from the sources OF information at
hand. The first summons was, in all probability,
mato unoficially from the provincial capital by
such men as Paca, Carroll and Chase, who may
even have sojourned there for the very purpose
Of watching the temper of the people and of
guiding their action when the critical moment
should arrive. In whatever way the summons
may have been made, 1t Is very clear that the pa
triOts throughout the province were no laggartls
In responding. Each county held a mass-meet-
In logo too to-
conventiodto meet at Annapolis on the 22d
June, 1T74. Hartford, then an infant of only
was among the first to respond The proceedings
of the meeting held on that occasion were pub
lished among the centennial papers above allud-
ed to: but as they formed the very inception
far as this county was concerned-of the great
revolutionary struggle, and as the resolutions
adoptcd-entrely destitute as they are of the
adventurous aid Of turgid rhetoric, so common
on such occasions-give us very good idea of
the temper OF our ancestors at that critical
period, take the liberty of reproducing here
In full the proceedings, which may be found in
the American Archives"
table body Of the inhabitants Of Harford i COUNT G
Md On llth june IVA, Aqula Hall chairman, At
list. 1t is the opinion of this meeting that the
town of Boston is now suffering in the common
cause OF America, and that II is the duty of
every colony to unite In the most effectual con-
stitutional means to obtain repeal of the late
act of parliament, blocking of the harbor and
port Of Boston. This act went into effect on the
I'D. That, therefore, we will Join in an asso-
citation with the other counties OF Thu Province,
on mr, 4atn not 10 export 10, or impor Great
such day as the committee OF the several coun-
tics at tho general meeting shall fix, until the
Iepeal OF the Boston port-bill.
I'D. That we will deal with none Of the West
Indian Island colonies whatsoever, or with per-
sons residing therein, that shall not enter Into
similar resolves with a majority of the colonies
within such time as the general committees shall
agree, but hold them as enemies to American
liberty.
""4th. That we join in an association with the
other counties to send relief to the poor and dis
tressed Inhabitants of Boston, to enable them to
persevere in defence of the common cause.
9TH. That the merchants ought not TO ad-
vance the price of their goods, but sell them as
they intended, had not these resolves been en-
9th. That the gentlemen of the law ought
to bring no suit for the recovery OF any debt due
from any inhabitant OF this Province to any in
habtant of Great Britain, or OF this or any other
colony, until said act be repealed, except in such
in payT ut, having ability to pay, or is about 10
abscon r remove his effects, or is wasting his
substanL Dr shall refuse to settle his account
by giving bond on interest Tor security, II re-
CURED; VIII. n fact, or facts, are to be made APP
pear to some h?ighboring magistrate aud cerii
fled 10 under his hand.
Rev. William West, Messrs Aquila Hall,
Richard Dallam, Thomas Bond (son Of Thos.j,
Hall, BENJAMIN Rumsey, Nathaniel Giles and
Jacob Bond be Q committee to meet the COM
mittee OF the Otner counties or this Province to
consult and agree on the most effectual means
- preserve our constitutional rights and liber-
ties, and to promote the union and harmony be-
tween Great Britain and her colonies, on which
their preservation depends. THAT is, the pre-
servation not of the colonies, but of our consti-
tutional rights and liberties, as is evident from
the previous use OF the word preserved And
that the same gentlemen, together with the fol-
lowing. namely, Capt. John Matthews. Can't
VIM, Smith, DIR. John Archer, VIM. Young,
Abraham Whitaker, VIM. Webb, Amos Garrett
George Bradford, John Rumsey, jeremiah Sher-
ldan, William Smithson, William Bond, son of
Joshual Isaac Webster and Alexander Cowan,
be committee of correspondence; and on any
emergency, to call a meeting, and that any six
OF them have the power TO act"
= The twenty-four gentlemen above named no
doubt constituted the first Revolutionary Com
mittee OF Hartford county, although the record
does not state the fact Ia so many words. Be-
Ing, however, the creation of a mere local mass
meeting, whatever their duties may have been
they of course could have had no authority to
supersede the functions of any local official
magisterial or other.
II is evident that the resolutions, II we cot
slider the peculiar circumstances of their pro
duction, were drawn by no hotspur, but by a
cool, calm head, who, conscious that mere pre-
sentation of the glazing facts would be sufficient
to secure the action desired, felt no need to stir
his already excited hearers by impressive meta
phor or pathetic appeal though, In one or two
expressions there Is mere hint Of suppressed
Indignation. By far the most noteworthy
clause, however, Is that in the It'll resolution.
recommending that means be used to promote
the union and harmony between Great Britain
and her colonies, &c. 1t is, so far as can now be
known, the first and last time-except once in
the proceedings at a certain meeting OF militia
that conciliatory expression of any kind APP
pears in the papers OF the committee of this
county. Even In this solitary instance, 1t was
probably only tub thrown out to divert the